Celebrating Excellence: 2025 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award Winners Unveiled

This year, the restaurant scene is revisiting classic wine selections, with trends highlighting Old World-style wines, older vintages, and rare grape varietals. Notably, there is a resurgence of traditional steakhouses, embracing the philosophy that “what’s old is new again."

Wine Spectator has announced over 3,800 restaurants that received Restaurant Awards for 2025, recognizing venues across all 50 states and over 80 countries, including Jordan, which joins the awardees for the first time. The awards are categorized into three levels: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence, and the prestigious Grand Award.

Among the honorees, Lillian in Richmond, Virginia, expressed gratitude at being recognized for their dedication to wine. Wine director Grayum Vickers stated, “It is an honor to have our hard work and passion for wine recognized by Wine Spectator.” Similarly, Jen Reyneri, owner of The Grove, Cucina & Wine in Florida, reflected on her sixth consecutive Award of Excellence, emphasizing the recognition as a testament to their values of faith, family, and community.

Out of the awarded restaurants, 2,010 received the Award of Excellence for their diverse wine offerings typically featuring around 100 selections that enhance the dining experience. Restaurants recognized with the Best of Award of Excellence demonstrated a deeper commitment to wine, with extensive staff training and curated lists of approximately 350 wines. In total, 1,704 establishments achieved this designation, including 197 new records and 148 upgrades.

The Grand Award is given to the top-tier wine programs that deliver exceptional dining experiences enriched by creative presentations and expert service. Award-winning wine lists generally contain over 1,000 selections from esteemed producers. This year, 97 restaurants worldwide earned Grand Awards, with three establishments joining this elite group for the first time: Le Bon Georges in Paris, Selby’s in California, and Soby’s in South Carolina.

To explore more about the award winners, readers can check profiles of these renowned restaurants on Wine Spectator’s website or in the upcoming Aug. 31 issue. The Restaurant Awards app is also available for on-the-go dining recommendations.

For insights on dining trends and to discover more award-winning restaurants, you can visit the Wine Spectator website or subscribe to their email newsletter for the latest updates and information.

About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!